Charles Leclerc explains why he flatly refused Ferrari's 3-stop strategy proposal during the 2023 F1 Austrian GP

During the 2023 F1 Austrian GP, Charles Leclerc simply refused to go for the three-stop strategy proposed by Ferrari. The Italian team was trying to work out different strategies during the race. However, the Monagasque driver did not feel the need to stop three times for new tires.

In the drivers' press conference after the Austrian GP, Leclerc was asked about why he refused to go for the strategy. He replied that he did not feel the need to stop three times and change tires.

Leclerc further stated that he did not understand the plan and reasoning behind Ferrari's call since that strategy was not discussed before the race.

"Oh, because for me, it was clearly not a three-stop race. At least it didn’t feel like that. And I don't know what was the plan about the other tire. I don't think we had discussed that, before that. So yeah, I just said no, because I did not feel it was the right decision," he said.

Since Ferrari has had some questionable strategy calls in the past, this was, of course, a topic of discussion amongst fans and the media. Charles Leclerc was bold enough to simply refuse the strategy call when it was made by the team in the pits.

Of course, his decision to not go for a three-stop strategy worked quite well since he came second in the Austrian GP, right behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen. This was Leclerc's best result in the 2023 F1 season so far.

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Charles Leclerc is delighted to be back on the podium at the 2023 F1 Austrian GP

Charles Leclerc finished second in the 2023 F1 Austrian GP and celebrated with both Red Bull drivers. He was delighted to be in front once again.

Talking to David Coulthard in the parc ferme after the race, Leclerc stated how he had a good Friday qualifying and the race. He also mentioned how the upgrades brought by the Italian team made a difference in race pace, which was their top priority.

"I think Friday and today, we have maximized what we had. Really, it's more yesterday that I was off the pace, but it's good to be back on the podium. The upgrades we brought on the car made me feel a little bit better in those conditions, which is looking good for the future," Leclerc said.

"The team has done an excellent job by bringing this upgrade earlier, so that's great. But obviously, there's still a lot of work to do because Max and Checo had a lot of pace," he added.

Charles Leclerc is currently in fifth position in the drivers' championship table with 72 points.